Andrea Pirlo stormed off set when asked whether he is looking forward to playing for Italy in the World Cup, which gets underway this month.

Of course, the World Cup winner was merely taking part in a humorous video designed to poke fun at Italy failing to qualify for the competition, as he vowed to look for a new nation to support in Russia.

But Pirlo made it clear how downbeat he was about not having the opportunity to represent his nation one last time in football's biggest spectacle.

"For the first time I can remember, I was not looking forward to the FIFA World Cup this year. I thought 'No Italy, no party'," said Pirlo.

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In a bid to convince the Italian to switch his allegiance to Brazil, World Cup winner Cafu said: "Andrea and I are former teammates and he knows that the Samba Boys are the world's most skillfull team.

"Brazil is the only side that has qualified for every FIFA World Cup in history. After his beloved Italy, he knows there is only one choice. It's a simple decision for Andrea."

Pirlo kisses the World Cup after Italy win the tournament in 2006 (Image: Getty Images Europe)

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* 2018 FIFA World Cup fans can download (App Store or Google Play) the Uber Eats app to get their favourite McDonald's meals delivered direct to their door in less than 30 minutes for every game during the 2018 FIFA World Cup.